Gettysburg Daily

Harvest of Death Part 2: Licensed Battlefield Guides Garry Adelman and Tim Smith

March 13, 2012

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides Tim Smith (bearded) and Garry Adelman (clean-shaven) are the hosts for the Harvest of Death series. They are shown on Oak Hill, circa 1990 around the time when Garry first met William Frassanito to show Frassanito Garry’s first Harvest of Death site. This was a self-timed photo looking southward circa 1990.

Timothy H. Smith is a native of Baltimore and a life long student of the American Civil War. He is employed as a Licensed Battlefield Guide at the Gettysburg National Military Park and as a research historian at the Adams County Historical Society. He is an instructor for the Gettysburg Elderhostel and teaches classes on the battle and local history at the Gettysburg Campus of the Harrisburg Area Community College. Tim has written numerous articles and authored or co-authored ten books on Gettysburg related topics, including John Burns: The Hero of Gettysburg (2000). He has lectured extensively at Civil War Round Tables and Seminars and has appeared on several television documentaries, including the Unknown Civil War and the popular PCN Gettysburg Battle Walk series.

In the first Harvest of Death post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides Garry Adelman and Tim Smith introduced us to the Harvest of Death series and showed the photographs documenting the Harvest of Death scene.

In today’s Harvest of Death post, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman shows the first site where he thought the Harvest of Death photos were taken, and the emotional investment he and others have in the sites where they believe these photographs were taken.

This map shows the location of the Harvest of Death videos. Videos #1-#5 were taken on the south end of the battlefield, near the Emmitsburg Road. This map was created facing north at approximately 6:00 PM on Thursday March 8, 2012.

Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman is holding circa 1990 photographs of the first location where he believed that the Harvest of Death photos were taken. The Rose Farm is in the left background. The outline of Little Round Top is visible through the trees of Rose’s Woods in the right background. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 12:45 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2012.

In Video #4 (Videos #1-#3 were shown in our previous post) Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman shows his first theory of where the Harvest of Death photographs were taken. He explains that the photographs were taken an angle of 135 degrees from each other, not 180 degrees. He also introduces us to the Harvest of Death “yes…but… syndrome.” This view was taken facing northeast to south to southeast at approximately 12:45 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2012.

Garry Adelman’s photograph of the first location where where he thought the Harvest of Death pictures were taken shows Rose’s Woods in the background. This view was taken facing east circa the 1990s.

In the previous 1990s photograph, Garry Adelman was attempting to match this view. This is the glass plate titled “View in Field on Right Wing Where General Reynolds Fell At The Battle of Gettysburg.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Garry Adelman’s photograph of the first location where where he thought the Harvest of Death pictures was taken shows a building that no longer exists and the Emmitsburg Road. This view was taken facing southwest circa the 1990s.

In the previous 1990s photograph, Garry Adelman was attempting to match this view. This is the glass plate titled “A Harvest of Death.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman is holding circa 1990 photographs of the first location where he believed that the Harvest of Death photos were taken. He shows us that his first attempt to find the Harvest of Death location was unsuccessful. The Rose Farm is in the left background. The outline of Little Round Top is visible through the trees of Rose’s Woods in the right background. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 12:45 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2012.

In Video #5 Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman shows the area that he thought was the south view of his 1990 Harvest of Death site. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the area was known as “Pinch Gut” for the interesting angle made by the intersection of the Emmitsburg Road and West Confederate Avenue in that area. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 12:45 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2012.

Licensed Battlefield Guide Garry Adelman is holding a circa 1990 photograph of his southward view where he first believed that the Harvest of Death photos were taken. The Philip Snyder House is in the right background. The Emmitsburg Road, where the two vehicles are casually parked is in the right background. West Confederate Avenue crosses the Emmitsburg Road along Seminary Ridge/Warfield Ridge along the treeline from left to right in the background. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 12:45 PM on Sunday, February 5, 2012.

A stereoview titled “Federal Soldiers As They Fell, At Battle of Gettysburg.” This is number #234. This image was taken by James F. Gibson for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863, and is courtesy of Garry Adelman.

The back of the stereo card titled “Federal Soldiers As They Fell, At Battle of Gettysburg.” This image is courtesy of Garry Adelman.

A stereoview titled “On the Battlefield at Gettysburg.” This is number #243. In the video, Garry showed an earlier version of #243 titled “View In Field on Right Wing.” This image was taken by James F. Gibson for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The back of the stereo card for image #243 titled “On the Battlefield at Gettysburg,” and which was earlier titled “View In Field on Right Wing.” This image is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A glass plate titled “View in Field on Right Wing Where General Reynolds Fell At The Battle of Gettysburg.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A part of the stereoview titled “Evidence of How Severe The Contest Had Been On The Right at The Battle of Gettysburg.” This is number #242. Only a part of the stereoview is shown because the image is in a private collection.This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of Garry Adelman.

The back of the stereo card for image #242 titled “Evidence of How Severe The Contest Had Been On The Right at The Battle of Gettysburg.” Only a part of the back of stereoview is shown because the image is in a private collection.This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of Garry Adelman.

A glass plate titled “A Harvest of Death.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

An anaglyph (3D) version of the glass plate titled “View in Field on Right Wing Where General Reynolds Fell At The Battle of Gettysburg.” To acquire a free pair of 3D glasses, click here. This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. The anaglyphs were assembled by John Richter, from negatives in the collection of the Library of Congress.

An anaglyph (3D) version of the glass plate titled “Federal Dead on the Field of Battle of First day, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.” To acquire a free pair of 3D glasses, click here. This image was taken by James Gibson for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. The anaglyphs were assembled by John Richter, from negatives in the collection of the Library of Congress.

An anaglyph (3D) version of the glass plate titled “A Harvest of Death.” To acquire a free pair of 3D glasses, click here. This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. The anaglyphs were assembled by John Richter, from negatives in the collection of the Library of Congress.

The glass plate titled “Federal Dead on the Field of Battle of First day, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.” This image shows the burial party in the background. This image was taken by James Gibson for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. This image is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A deteriorated stereoview #242 titled “Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Evidence of How Severe the Contest Had Been on the Right.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A glass plate titled “Gettysburg, Pa. Bodies of Federal Soldiers, Killed on July 1, Near the McPherson Woods.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress.

A colorized version of the glass plate titled “Gettysburg, Pa. Bodies of Federal Soldiers, Killed on July 1, Near the McPherson Woods.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress. It was colorized by Mark Maritato.

A colorized version of the glass plate titled “A Harvest of Death.” This image was taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan for Alexander Gardner circa July 5-6, 1863. It is courtesy of the Library of Congress. It was colorized by Mark Maritato.

Tim Smith and Garry Adelman are the co-authors of Devil’s Den: A History and Guide. It was first published by Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1997. This cover was scanned facing south at approximately 8:00 PM on Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

Tim Smith’s John Burns: The Hero of Gettysburg. For ordering information, click here.